Court date looms for Ayliffe in debt battle

Date: December 02 2012

Heath Aston

FORMER rugby league international and current NRL judiciary member Royce Ayliffe is battling to stave off bankruptcy proceedings.

The 56-year-old former Roosters prop, who won the Dally M captain of the year award in 1980, owes debt collection agency ACM Group $40,300, according to documents held by the Federal Magistrates Court.

The debt, which is believed to relate to unpaid credit card bills, has been hanging over Ayliffe since an adverse judgment was made against him in the Local Court in June 2010.

At that time, Ayliffe was locked in a separate legal fight with Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy and former chief executive Brian Waldron.

Along with the judiciary chairman, Judge Greg Woods, and panel member Darrell Williams, he took defamation proceedings against the Melbourne pair over comments made at a post-match press conference in 2008 relating to the suspension of Cameron Smith before the grand final.

Ayliffe shared in a six-figure settlement from Bellamy and Waldron but the group released a statement complaining of two year's of accumulated legal costs - even though Bellamy and Waldron agreed to pay their costs.

Ayliffe, who represented NSW in the 1982 State of Origin series and played 18 minutes for Australia during the 1981 Brisbane Test against France, is due in court on December 19 unless he can strike a deal with ACM before then.

Insolvency industry blog, Sydney Insolvency News, reported last week that the debt collector had rejected an initial payment proposal put up by Ayliffe in September. ACM said it could not comment on individual matters.

Ayliffe said on Thursday there was ''no debt and no court''.

''Clean your ears out because I am only going to say this once, I am not going bankrupt,'' he said.

Later, he said that ACM had mistakenly taken the matter to court and that a deal had been struck to avoid any further legal action. By Saturday, the matter was still listed as open on the Commonwealth Courts website.

Ayliffe, who splits his time between Blackalls Park and Maroubra, is expected to appoint Trent Hancock, a partner at corporate recovery group Moore Stephens.

There has been no notice of appearance lodged by Ayliffe in response to ACM's creditor's petition of November 12, which makes it possible for the matter to be settled before December 19.

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